


Boop the Goop

by AncientCountry



Category: Venom (Comics), Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Other, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2020-02-10 19:18:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18666721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AncientCountry/pseuds/AncientCountry
Summary: You aren't the most eager in getting this relationship started, but maybe you just aren't used to massive gooey monsters of otherworldy proportions coming at you in the dark. An introduction to how reader develops a relationship with Veddie and then a bunch of oneshots from there. So if you like the goodness that is Venom and Eddie being cute with you, then here is your pit stop.





	1. Catch your Breath

                                                                          

The setting sun had quickly disappeared behind the horizon, moonlight bringing hideous storm clouds in its wake to the streets – everyone out on the streets had an umbrella tucked firm underneath their arm to prevent the coming storm from drenching clothes. Everyone except you.

 

“Freaking great!” your feet thumped hard against the asphalt through the park as fast as you could, phone crushed against your ear while you rushed through the trees shadowing you, “I don't have time for this!”

 

You'd been on a walk when you heard the sound of sirens and gunshots echoed off not too far from your location, it wasn't long before you became target of whoever was fighting the police. You'd booked it as quickly as possible out of there, your haggard breath drowned out by the exploding beat of your heart in your ears. The sound of heavy footsteps stumbling through the trees behind seemed to slowly distance itself as you bee-lined your way for the streets.

 

“Oh good God!” stuffing your phone into your pocket once you realized no one was going to pick up, you preached to the high heavens at the sight of stopped traffic – the beeping of cars and cussing drivers had never been more pleasing to your ear.

 

You leaped right into the streets, shuffling your way over cars screaming to them that something huge was coming – nearly everyone ignored you, but that was the least bit of concern you were going to give as it was terrifying to look into the eyes of someone who deliberately wanted to harm you. To eat you.

 

Those milky white gashes had sent you bolting away from the bench you'd parked yourself in, not even a glimpse of who the assaulter was and you knew they were coming right for you. You knew you were in trouble. The sound of screams could be heard as you spilled carelessly onto the street and sprinted for the closest mall you could find – you had to lose them somehow, an empty mall was good enough for you.

 

Most everyone had abandoned the walkways a while ago, a few night owls dabbling here and there, but quickly vanishing the more you sprinted in a panic for your life. You had lost the capability to shout for them to hide, your own throat torn raw from your heavy breath.

 

“Shit!” your ankle rolled as you slipped through a puddle to turn the corner to an alleyway, the pain shooting right up into your thigh – you backed up against the bricked wall to catch your breath, the pain smacking you dizzy with every pulse.

 

It started to rain.

 

Taking out your phone once more, you dialed up your boss without hesitation – there was no way you were going to make it tomorrow, hell, you might not even have a midnight, “...hello?” that would probably be the one time the sound of your boss would even be thought of as candy to your ears.

 

“Hey there, it's _____,” you rasped with ugly sighs under your tongue, your eyes glancing around the corner before limping your way further into the alleyway, “uhhh y'know how I said I'd be there early tomorrow?”

 

“____ you sound kinda rough, is everything alright?” you almost gave a bitter chuckle, it came out as another gasp clawing for air.

“Huhhhh yeah...no, no it's not,” you cupped the phone as the storm picked up, your eyes blinking away the water that splashed into them, “I think I might get killed tonight.”

 

“What!? Where are you?”

 

“Someone...err something is chasing me, the police are already after them...but--”

 

“... **Something sweeeeeet**.”

 

…

 

“____ who was that?”

 

Your hand had immediately clawed around your mouth to force away your gasps, your heart rate tripling as the blood drained from your face – there was no mistaking that unworldly growl, they were onto you.

 

You leaped behind the closest pile of trash you could find, your limbs trembling as you crushed yourself as far into the darkness as you could. They were just around the corner.

 

Please don't notice. Please don't notice. Please don't notice. PLEASE DON'T NOTICE.

 

“Hey ____ what is-”

 

“Shhh,” you hissed into the phone as to shut your boss up without hesitation, your lips curling into themselves as the deep sniffs came to a halt right after, “...fuck.”

 

Hanging up as quietly as possible, you waited for the inevitable moment of being torn apart – there was no way you would be making it out alive. Your claws dug into your fleshy palms, your breathing stopping all together. It was going to come.

 

...Any second now.

 

...3...2…

 

…………………..1?

 

The only thing you could hear was the heavy downpour of rain and wailing sirens, the stench of wet garbage accompanying your senses as well. Cracking your eyes open, you waited a few more seconds. There was no way they hadn't heard you right? Taking the chance to look passed the stained bags you huddled behind, you stood into a crouch as you inched toward the corner.

 

It rained.

 

Gripping the angled bricks with the tips of your fingers, you took a deep breath...and looked.

 

...Nothing but the back mall door.

 

Sirens wailed.

 

Squinting to find anything suspicious at all, you finally pulled away after what felt like hours and allowed a sigh to release all the tension that had seized your muscles.

 

It rained.

 

Setting your phone back into your pocket, you decided to get a look at your messed up ankle.

 

A heavy hot breath blasted across the back of your neck.

 

Sirens wailed.

 

“... **fuck indeed.** ”

 

Not even a second thought and you were bolting towards the mall doors, your shoe abandoned in that dank alleyway with whatever that was stalking you. You swung that door open and beelined down the white marble hall, watering the ground with your soaked clothes without a single care given – maybe your assailant could slip and fall and that would be the end of it.

 

Wishful thinking.

 

“Shit shit shit!” the mall was completely empty with all the store lights off and doors sealed shut, nothing but the sound of AC whirring in the background. You hopped up the frozen escalators within seconds, booking your way toward anywhere with coverage.

 

Fortunately, it took nothing more than a few seconds to find another problem all together, “are you kidding me!?” you ducked behind a couple of benches when the sight of masked men came into view, their hands occupied with weapon and bag – apparently all the criminals decided to go out on a spree today, you could clearly see blood dripping from one of their weapons.

 

One of them spotted your wet face, “Oi! Who’s out there!?” your fingers clutched into your palms as you quickly decided what was best for yourself, they nudged one to go for you as you came out with arms up. You were still out of breath.

 

“Sorry to bother guys, just trying to find a place to hide,” they gripped onto your arms and tugged you along to the rest of the group, you didn’t flinch, “kinda being chased right now.”

 

“Seems like you’re alone right now there sweetheart,” one seemed to be the leader of the group had stood before you, their bloodied weapon dragging itself across the front of your belly, “we don’t see anyone around but us.”

 

“...not for long,” you muttered as your eyes darted around with heavy breaths, your main concern being whatever was still scenting you out, “look, could you please let me go, I’m really not here to rat anybody out, I just-”

 

THWACK!

 

Your cheek stung at the sudden pain surging through your head, eyes fixed on the open palm that dazed you, “you’ve got quite a mouth for someone trying to run away,” the same weapon was dragged up the inner side of your leg, “sounds to me like the fuzz is what you’re talking about huh buds?”

 

They hummed in unison, you struggled against the hands holding you, “What? No! There’s something out there and it’s not-”

 

THWACK!

 

Another powerful smack to your face and it burned, you felt blood running down your chin, “do what you want with’em.”

 

“LET GO OF ME!” you roared now as you grew more and more panicked with the clock ticking down over your head, it was only a matter of time, “THAT FUCKING THING IS OUT THERE! IT’S GOING TO EAT YOU!”

 

The ones tugging you along chuckled with malice, your ankle screaming with every tug at your body, “the only thing anybody’s gonna be eating is that ass,” the moment you were brought down another corner, a large hand gripped you roughly – you were not having it, “I SAID LET-”

 

“ **We believe** **they** **do** **n’t** **want your attention** ,” your knees nearly buckled as that familiar growl echoed somewhere from above you, your blood nearly freezing altogether.

 

“Who the fu-AH---” whoever had been holding your right side was gone in an instant, sending you and the other criminal tumbling towards the ground – you could hear the sound of snapping bones.

 

“BOSS!” the thug holding you had completely blanked about you as they leaped to their feet and rushed back where the leader was, you kept still until you saw them get snatched clear from sight.

 

“...”

 

You waited...waited for something. You were not disappointed.

 

“ **...** **we would like to have a little chat** ,” not even a few seconds following those ominous grunts, nothing but pure agonizing screams could be heard.

 

Tossing yourself up and away, you limped and limped for cover. You were determined to get away and back to your apartment, there was nothing you wanted more than your bed.

 

 _There’s no way in hell I’m leaving my home ever again_.

 

Tripping into what seemed to be a clothing store that was clearly ransacked, you noticed a vending machine that was upturned and nearly emptied – a few stray candy bars were splayed across the floor. Without even a single ounce of regret, you snatched up every last one and started to munch away. You had to get energy somewhere, there was nothing but fumes in your tank.

 

_Just get out of here...get out of here and get home._

 

After what felt like hours of wandering, there was nothing but tears streaking your face from the pain in your foot now. Stumbling into another ransacked store, you collapsed onto the floor and just...breathed. There was no getting anywhere if you couldn’t catch a break, no way of surviving this night without the energy that you needed.

 

You counted the seconds before sitting yourself up, grimacing at the little spot of blood your face made on the floor. Gingerly pulling away the wet sock from your foot that you still wore, you nearly whimpered at the already aggressive swelling of your foot. Crawling your way deeper into the dark shop, you found yourself a bench to hang your leg over – immediate relief from the pressure as you plopped your back onto the rough carpeting.

 

“I’m so getting sick tomorrow,” lying in sopping wet clothes was not something you enjoyed, yet there you were drenched all the way down to the bone with a busted ankle, “...yeah...sick.”

 

Dragging out a couple of chocolates you’d gotten, you carefully ripped the packaging open. Unfortunately, the bar you chose was entirely destroyed and crumbled out all over you, “son of a-” tossing the bar across the store out of a fit of impatient rage, you let out a silent slew of curses before more hot tears started dribbling down your cheeks, “I just want my bed.”

 

Not even giving the energy to wipe away the melting mess on your skin, you dug up another chocolate and delicately peeled a part of the wrapper.

 

...It was silent.

 

“...”

 

...IT WAS SILENT.

 

As if on queue to break the calm, you could hear the loud thump of a body right outside the store – you froze. The familiar growl that echoed off the walls had entered your hiding place, grumbling and hissing reverberating through the floor where you had planted yourself.

 

“ **That sweeet deliciousnesss is around here sssom** **e** **where** ,” listening to the deep and guttural noise slowly coming closer to you, you turned an eye to get a glimpse of who would be your demise – it was too dark, but you could see the massive silhouette of trunk-thick calves thumping across the floor, “ **where are you hiding you sweet morsel?** ”

 

Biting down on your lip to stifle any possible gasps of fear, you waited for a chance to even budge a muscle.

 

“ **...it’ssss here!** ” like splitting flesh, you heard the loud slurping of a tongue and desperate grunts tearing into what sounded like plastic, “ **...so much everywhere**.”

 

Taking it as your queue to find the backroom, you carefully pulled your leg from the bench while turning onto your belly – the sound of the slurping grew louder and more fervent the longer it went on. There was no way you were going to wait for them to catch you. With one quick glance, you spotted the exact door you desperately needed.

 

_GO!_

 

Stretching your arms out in front of you, you dragged your pained body across the carpet with the soul purpose of silence. The wet squelching of your clothes was drowned out by the creatures’ loud growls and slurps of satisfaction. Just one inch at a time, one inch and you’ll be okay. See you’re halfway there. Just a couple more feet.

 

“ **Hmmmm hello there.** ”

 

…..!!!!!!!!

 

The heavy presence of a massive body loomed right above you, what little light there was now completely replaced by a hulking shadow. What looked to be literal ropes of muscled arms rested a couple feet from either side of your head as that presence seemed to lean in closer. You kept still. Maybe they’ll think your dead if you don’t move.

 

…

 

“ **We can see you just fine dear...smell you just fine,** ” something that felt like wet rubber curled under your clothes and twisted you around, you yelped at the pain your in ankle as it smacked against whatever was looming over you, “ **we see you have just what we desire.** ”

 

Almost as if by force, your lungs practically shut down at the sight of massive rows of needled teeth dribbling liquid onto your face – a tongue swishing back and forth to either side of your vision, a thick muscle that must’ve tired out the massive black jaw it was attached to. What it was attached to.

 

No sooner had you forgotten that this creature was more than just a mouth, you flinched as two milky white scars that floated in a black abyss came level to your eyes – they widened and squinted as they absorbed you, “... **we ask that you give it to us** ,” not really trying to ignore their question in any way, you couldn’t help your eyes from wandering over the rest of the hulking mass above you – they could crush you at any given moment with just their sheer size and yet you found yourself terrified and intrigued by whatever _they_ were, “ **we do not like to ask twice dear.** ”

 

Taken aback by their sort of rushed words, you almost gasped at the heaving breath that blew your sopping hair from your face, “wh-what did you want from me?” Not entirely sure you wanted to know the answer to that question, you forced your eyes back to their eyes to try and stop your racing heart, “i-is it money? Err card? I-i-I.D-”

 

 **“Chocolate.** ”

 

...

 

“...What?”

 

“ **...we desire chocolate**.”

 

“You want chocolate?”

 

“ **YES...we would like the chocolate you possess.** ”

 

Trying to fathom the highly improbable chance that this wasn’t a joke, you looked over the hulking frame once more – you were being chased by this thing, this massive murderous machine...and it just wanted chocolate, “...oh.”

 

 **“...Oh?** ” they queried.

 

“Err I have a couple of chocolates but-AHH!” you screeched as gigantic claws sat you up with a a simple tug, letting you know just how easily they could toss you through the wall with a slight flex of a bicep, “I-I-I’ve got a couple of chocolates if you want them yeah,” your heart raced just from how tiny you were compared to them, your view face level with their naval where they squat in front of you – you kept your gaze on the face looking down on you, “I have one right here,” raising your shaking arm, you almost cried in despair at the chocolate now mushed and smeared all over your palm, “d-don’t worry I’ve got an-AHH!” you flinched once more as their head dove down towards your arm.

 

You clenched up at their visceral response, their jaw unlatching to snatch the wrapper and all right from your fingers – you half expected them to chomp your whole arm off, but they didn’t. Instead of a mouth full of arm, the massive muscle of a tongue unfurled and wove its way all around your hand. Dexterous and gentle with its strokes upon your skin. It was warm and wet, a huge contrast to your own freezing skin. The buds were rather soothing to say the least, enough for you to stop any screams from coming out.

 

“W..wow,” watching the appendage continue to slurp and flick against your comparably tiny hand, you almost went to poke at it until they pulled back and squinted their eyes at you once more, “uhhh-”

 

 **“** **W** **e smell more** **,”** watching that massive tongue sway before your face, you couldn’t help pointing out the textured taste buds further inside the maw, “ **we ask for more**.”

 

Sounding like less of a question and more of a demand, you obliged without hesitation, digging out the last few chocolates and ripping them open for the creature to eat. They were snatched from your hand seconds after the plastic parted. You watched their jaw clench and roll with each bite as they downed the candy with ease, your own hands busy unzipping your sopping jacket to see if you’d left any traces behind.

 

“I think that’s all I have,” you noted the calm of your own voice, back to its unwavering hum, “I might have left a few back th-”

 

“ **You still have more**.”

 

“...I’m sorry?” patting down your jacket to make sure you hadn’t missed any at their intense growl, you stiffened out as that massive head closed in on you – their slick looking skin nearly brushed against your face, “uhhh?”

 

**“May we?”**

 

Not too positive what they were talking about or what permission they could’ve possibly gotten by force, you couldn’t very well deny whatever they wanted from you now, “I mean sure, but I don’t think--”

 

You were silenced by how quickly they gripped you by the waist to hold you in place, their hands folding over each other just to get a tight enough grip – you watched their jaw unhinge once more, but this time aimed at you. You held your breath, apprehensive of what they had wanted. Yet, before you could speak in protest, that massive tongue slathered itself around your neck – a fleshy, wet scarf of warmth around your throat. Tingles raced up and down your spine in a million short zaps, your skin prickling with goosebumps just from how amazing that heat felt. Their tongue rolled in slow pulses before curling up and slurping away at your face – your nose stinging from the stark temperature difference between you.

 

There was no helping the pleased sigh from escaping you with how flush you were becoming, you were willing to take whatever warmth you could get no matter how unhygienic it was. Even their saliva was sweet, hot air heaving on your skin as it dribbled and soaked into your clothes. You couldn’t stay there forever though, you were sure the cops were looking for them.

 

“Err Mr. Alien? I think we should probab-OW!” the strained yelp you let out had caused them to drop you altogether, your back hitting the floor, “Ahhh,” you pulled your leg up as the creature backed away, they’d accidentally tapped you there.

 

“ **We are sorry!”** they were quick to hover over you, their face closing in on your foot, “ **we did not mean harm**.”

 

“It’s not your fault,” you muttered as you prodded your finger into the swollen flesh, the tender skin screaming in protest as you tried to keep it straight, “it’ll be fine once I get a brace on it.”

 

“ **We can help with that.** ”

 

“Err how exactly can you do that?”

 

Watching them intently, you quirked as their massive claw for a hand curled around your foot, “ **We are capable of many things silly morsel** ,” in seconds, your leg was engulfed in whatever the hell their flesh was made out of, warm and cool at the same time as you felt it wrap around each individual toe.

 

“OW---ow---oh w-ow,” you nearly gasped at the sight of your leg from the knee down looking entirely black and slick like the creature before you, the pain in your ankle much more subdued, “a membrane?”

 

“ **Of sorts you could say** ,” they spoke as if showing off their superiority to you, you couldn’t help agreeing with them.

 

“Well thank you very much uhhh-”

 

 **“Venom...we are Venom.** ”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on:  
> Tumblr | Twitter | Pillowfort


	2. Reach that High

“Uhh...Venom?”

 

“ **Yes?** ”

 

“I-I don't think this is necessary.”

 

“ **We will carry you until you are safe.** ”

 

It had been a wild ride for you that night, having been chased down like a mouse by the monstrous creature that was carrying you in that very moment. You had sustained some pretty painful injuries during the chase, most notably the rolled ankle Venom was currently nursing with their...goo? The substance clung to you like a second skin, possibly even thinner than skin but still quite opaque. Unfortunately, they couldn't very well separate themselves from it, so they decided on taxiing you to your home when you decided you'd been in that mall for too long. You didn't like that.

 

They had carried you to the roof of the mall by the time you decided to argue for your freedom, anxiety starting to bubble out of you,“I can easily just grab a cab for myself.”

 

“ **That is not a smart idea little morsel** ,” they opened the door to the helipad, a cold wind pouring in as droplets of rain plopped onto your skin, “ **there are strange ones out this time of night**.”

 

“And you're not strange?” your stomach immediately churned at the failure to filter your words, your hands slapping over your mouth as you looked to them with uncertainty – Venom looked to be contemplating something before they looked to you, their milky white eyes shifting.

 

“ **Precisely our point** ,” before you could say anything to the widening of their permanent grin, their hand seemed to eclipse over you which caused your heart to race inside your chest – _oh dear god they’re going to fold me like a suitcase and eat my brains out...literally_ , “ **try not to squirm.** ”

 

“Wh-WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” Venom took off bolting across the roof unprompted, their feet carrying you to the ledge within seconds, “OH PLEASE DON'T DO THI-AAAAAAAAHHHH!”

 

Your stomach shot up into your throat as you plummeted to the streets stories far below, you didn't need to see through their shovel of a hand to know what was happening, “ **we have you** ,” beyond any panicked state you’d ever been in, you hadn't felt their grip tighten around you as you were suddenly arching away from the ground, flinging across the sky as the rain pelted their skin.

 

“Oh my god I'm gonna die!” your arms immediately flung around them as best you could get them to, your face burying into the cold goo that was their skin – you refused to budge until you were sure their feet were firmly set on the ground. Fortunately for your unsuspecting self, they didn't plan on getting you killed.

 

After what felt like an eternity in the yo-yo grasp of the reaper themself, Venom landed with a thud. Your heart was pounding, your ears ringing from all of the howling wind that rushed into them – you were high strung, limbs stiff and fingers gripping as you fought for dear life to get yourself under control.

 

“ **Morsel?** ” their words seemed to be loud in your ears, your body jumping as you pushed even further into them at the sudden noise, “ **...we are grounded.** ”

 

It took several seconds before you pried your face away from their body, little tendrils that had apparently latched onto you sinking back into their body, “wha-?” looking around, you realized you were in a dark alleyway, away from any traffic or signs of living, “oh?”

 

Slowly pulling your arms from them, you found that you couldn't really speak. Now that everything was settled, you came back to the reality that you didn't want them knowing where you lived and that was exactly what they were waiting for. If they knew where you lived, they could stalk you down any day, save you for a snack for another time. You didn't know what they were capable of and that was far too big a nightmare to welcome into your life. You choked on your own fear.

 

_What the hell do I tell them? I can’t outrun the damn thing, but I can’t just toss my safety out the window? You aren’t even safe right here, they could munch your head right off your shoulders if they wanted to. God, what do I d-_

 

“ **...Give us a close location** ,” Venom's words made you jump once again, your eyes searching for them through the dark, “ **...we will drop you off close if you do not want us knowing.** ”

 

“Wha-I-it’s not-” they watched you quietly through your anxious babbling, your lips finally gaining control of themselves as you gave up on trying to excuse yourself - there was no point in lying, you didn't plan on living through the night anyway, “...okay.”

 

It’s completely impossible to manipulate a track-free rollercoaster, that’s how you felt having to direct the massive beast carrying you around like a little infant and flinging themself from building to building. You pointed them wherever you could recognize from such a high angle since they had no clue of your addresses, it was a whole lot more disorienting than you would’ve liked. Flinging to and fro, fro as you forced your head into their pec so you wouldn't get whiplash while you directed them. You definitely preferred the ground and your own two feet for travel.

 

“Here’s good enough,” you pointed at a corner under streetlight just across from a local shaggy park, they were quick to descend the building they perched.

 

The rain quieted into silence.

 

“ **Are you sure** **this is good?** ” they eyed you quizzically, hand still grasped securely under you.

 

“Mhmm, this is good enough,” you hummed with relief as they settled you on the floor, your will to not kiss the cement in gratitude nearly breaking, “...so,” your eyes wandered toward the thick strand of black ooze still connected to your leg, worry taking hold of you, "wh-what do we do about this?"

 

“ **Right** ,” they seemed to forget themself, the black goop peeling away from your skin as it absorbed back into their body, “ **we hope you make it home safe** ,” they were quick to turn tale which caught you by surprise, your first instinct to stop your guide and savior.

 

“I uhh,” you jumped as they turned to you once again, their eyes shifting quizzically as they seemed just as surprised by your shout, “...Venom?” you tested their name on your tongue which they seemed to perk at, inching a bit closer from your queue.

 

“ **Yes?** ” you still weren’t used to how strongly their words came out, almost commanding in a way. You couldn’t help your flinch.

 

“Th...Thank you for taking care of me,” you weren’t sure on what else to say, they were something you weren’t used to dealing with, “I don’t know what or who you are but...I appreciate your effort the same,” the words were coming out without you even really having to think about them, your mind finally taking in what had occurred that night, “you actually kinda saved my life back there,” your mind wandered back to the mall robbers, skin crawling at the thought what they had planned for you.

 

“ **The praise isn’t necessary, we got you hurt in the first place** ,” they seemed to gesture toward your leg before grumbling something of disappointment, “ **we apologize.** ”

 

You didn’t really want to get into the semantics of the entire situation as it was all too insane to think about, but you were a bit curious about them now that you had the ball rolling with no certainty of death, “why exactly...were you chasing me earlier?”

 

…

 

“ **...chasing?** ” Venom looked confused.

 

“You kinda rushed me through the streets and all the way to the mall...going…uhhh ‘sweet morsel’ the entire time,” _god I should’ve processed that before talking,_ you bit into your cheek as panic started bubbling once again, “...why?”

 

They looked to really have been caught off by your question, milky whites drilling holes into you as they fidgeted, “ **...we...we** ,” their head tilted every which way as they watched you, like a pup hearing howls for the first time.

 

They closed in on your bubble without prompting, your skin immediately trailing with goosebumps with each step into your personal space, “uhh V-ven--” their name fell flat on your tongue as you did your best not to move, unsure of what they were exactly looking for in your features.

 

Their face slid dangerously close, so close that you couldn’t help tucking in your chin defensively. God they were huge, you just couldn’t wrap your head around their intimidating presence. _Just one flex and I can die, one swing and I’m nothing but minced meat in the concrete_ _, a god damned fleshy pancake_ _._

 

Just as your mind was rolling back into the endless possibilities of death they could inflict upon you, they grunted before seeming to go blank in the face entirely, “ **we have to go**.”

 

“Yeah that’s- wait what?” you watched them turn back down the dark street once more, body a lot more stiff than a few seconds ago, “I uhh okay?”

 

“ **We will we be checking on you, make sure you’re okay** ,” their words barely reached your ears before they hopped the brick building with a start, your head spinning as they jumped clear out of sight.

 

You stood there quietly, ears listening for their heavy footsteps before even considering moving anywhere, “...okay?” turning heel, you quietly marched your way back to your home, “okay,” there wasn't much else you could do in that moment, at least anything sane that you could possibly do, "home, just worry about...home."

 

The familiar sight of old rustic complexes tugged your legs to go faster the moment they came into view, your feet rushing you through the main courtyard and into your building. You didn’t stop moving until you made it to the third floor and in front of your door, head lightly banging against the wooden panel. Sighing as you dragged your keys out and into the lock, you felt what little energy you had leave your body as your loft came into view.

 

Stumbling your way inside, you peeled away all the sopping wet layers from your body before throwing them into the hamper without much of any care. Not even bothering with pajamas or any towels for that matter, you tumbled your way into bed with the blankets woven tightly around you. It was a long day, you wanted sleep. As a matter of fact, you _needed_ sleep. Your bed usually felt too hard, but it was like lying in the softest of clouds. It felt so good to be home, so good to have your bed, so good to be out of the cold rain.

 

So good.

 

“Wooooo,” decompressing further into the bed, you curled into yourself as you welcomed sleep.

 

…

 

...Except you couldn’t.

 

“Holy shit,” your heart pounded violently in your chest as you stared stiffly through the window, “...I’m alive.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on:  
> Tumblr | Twitter | Pillowfort


	3. Again?

_BANG_

 

Waking with a start at the sudden slam against your loft door, you catapulted from your blankets and behind your bed, “what the hell?” it was still dark, too dark for you to see why anybody would even be at your home.

 

Peering over  your  blankets, you waited for any sounded, flinching when the banging continued once again. Crawling your way out of the room, you wrapped your  cover s around yourself as you shuffled down the steps.  Clearing your throat as you made it to the door, you peered through the looking glass. To your surprise, police were at your door.

 

“Uhh yes?” you called.

 

“_____?” they leaned further into the door as you wondered why exactly they would be at your home in the first place, “we received a call from your employer that you were in danger. We’re here to check in on you.”

 

_Oh right,_ palming your face in realization, you looked around a second before you decided to just open the door, “ummm good uhh...night er evening? I don’t know, hello,” your voice was still hoarse from sleep as you tightened your hold on your blankets, not the most comfortable around cops to begin with.

 

“Good morning,” the darker officer of the bunch took lead at the sight of you, his face softening a little as he looked you over, “We received a call that you’d contacted your employer that you were being chased earlier,” he gestured toward your door as if asking for entry, you weren’t too inclined to do that but complied anyway.  _Let’s just get this over with._

 

By the time afternoon rolled around, you had probably nodded off about a dozen times. You hadn’t even gotten yourself four hours of sleep before the police had decided to visit your home, leaving you with a bad taste in your mouth. You’d lied through your teeth about your little fiasco last night,  directing all of your bruising and cuts to the robbers who’d caught you in the mall. You had wondered if there were any remains for them to find if they decided to pursue the case. It was none of your concern as all of  that was being directed toward trying to get yourself together.

 

You’d zoned out quite a bit just within one trolley ride to the shopping district, fumbling to keep it together. You were frazzled and your boss had probably noticed that the moment you’d entered the office to try and let them know you were okay. They demanded you take the day off and the rest of the week at the sight of all the bruising and scabs on you. You didn’t fight it, although that was going to leave you short on cash for the month. You’d figure it out.

 

The store visit had gone surprisingly smooth, quieter than what you were used to as you purchased yourself some medical supplies and decided on a day at the local park for distraction purposes. 

 

You’d settled yourself comfortably in the trolley for the trip back home, quietly taking to your phone as to keep yourself entertained for the ride. People minded their own,  shuffling on and off where they needed. It was quiet and calm and just overall pleasing to have the time to care for yourself, a little too comfortable unfortunately. As you’d scrolled through your phone, you hadn’t noticed the weight that dragged your eyelids shut until someone had carefully tapped your shoulder.

 

“Uhh excuse me?” blinking the bleariness from your eyes, you peered around to get a semblance of what was going on.

 

It was late evening, “crap, thank you so much,” looking to your helper, you felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity as you got an eyeful of thick lips sporting a crooked smile, “...sir.”

 

“I’m sorry for bugging you, I just wasn’t sure if you meant to sleep and I’m the last person left on here so,” his mellowed voice struck every nostalgia bone in your body, but you couldn’t fathom where you could’ve seen him before, “are you alright?”

 

“Y...yes I am thank you,” shuffling yourself out of your seat as you continued to stare at him, there was no denying that you recognized him from somewhere.

 

“After you,” he hummed as he waved you to go ahead, you obliged without thought, “are you alright walking home on your own?”

 

Stepping off the trolley and over to the closest street, you dug through your skull for some semblance of coherency, “umm yeah, I’ll be fine from here,” looking to him as you wanted to try and get a better view of his features, you nodded appreciatively, “thank you for the wake up call sir, I hope I didn’t inconvenience you.”

 

“Not at all ma’am,” he chuckled softly, that crooked smile making you reel back once again, “well I’m off then, take care,” he waved at you before  taking off without another word.

 

“Bye,” watching him a second longer as you thought of any possible way you could’ve known him, your legs finally carried you in the direction of home once you decided you were tired of holding a plastic bag.

 

It didn’t take long for you to get back to your neighborhood,  head still heavy from sleep deprivation. You were desperate for your bed once again. Making it to your apartment  door, you settled your bags down before looking for your keys. Right there in your pocket.

 

….Right there...in your pocket.

 

……….in your pocket.

 

……………………...shit.

 

Patting yourself down, you flipped your pockets inside out as your stomach dropped, “dammit,” settling your bags by your door, you looked around for anything, any sign of metal on the floor, “no no no!”

 

Trying to think of anywhere you could’ve lost the key, you realized that it could’ve very w e ll have been back at the trolley, “great,” rubbing your temples as frustration boiled up in your chest, you rushed your way back down the steps and out of the complex, “ of course things were going smooth,  of course they were going SO smooth that this UGH!” kicking the curb with more anger than necessary, you flinched at the pain that shot up your leg, “shi-fffff-ughhhh….okay.”

 

Taking deep breaths along  the way , you tried your best to focus on the cool air breezing through your clothes. It was a nice day, there was no reason to be mad. Panicked? A little bit sure, but angry? No, you had a nice and calming time for yourself to unwind. If you needed a new key, you would just pay the money and get yourself some zip-able pockets to accompany it. It’s not like you were dy-

 

_THUMP_

 

...oh no.

 

Freezing in your tracks at the sudden loud landing of a body not too far off, you took a second to grasp your surroundings.

 

You were on the corner. The same corner as last night. The  same  corner where Venom last left you.

 

_We will be checking on you--_

 

… right.

 

…

 

...It was dark.

 

“Ummm h-hello?” gazing down the dark alleyway where the rumbling had come from, you felt your throat clench at the sight of two white scars staring at you in the dark abyss, “ V-uhh Venom?”

 

They quirked at the whisper of their name, marching out of the shadows and into your  open yet very small  space, “ **we came to check on you** ,”  their skin glittered under the streetlamp, claws fiddling with every minute sway, “ **are you okay?** ”

 

“Y-yeah I uhh,” your throat nearly clogged at the  remembrance of how massive they were compared to you, their presence so overwhelming that you nearly collapsed from the pressure, “I f-forgot my umm uhh,” they waited curiously, head tilting with every stutter you gave, “s-something, forgot a thing.”

 

A moment of silence was shared between you two once your mind finally fizzled out of anything to say, their presence now just too overbearing for you to think straight, “ **...and?** ”

 

Flinching at their sudden rumbling question, you blinked a couple of times before realizing what exactly they meant, “m-my uhh...my key to the front door,” not sure that something such as that even mattered at the moment,  you looked at them curiously, “I-I’m heading back to find it so-”

 

“ **We think we can help with that** ,” Venom suddenly flung their hand out to you, your immediate reaction to shut your eyes in fear of being ripped apart, “ **...is this yours**?”

 

“ ... Huh?” peeking at them once more, you spotted something glittering between their massive claws, “ my key? How did you-” they twisted their hand away before you could take it, your stomach twisting in knots as they shook their head.

 

“ **Not yet** ,” Venom  turned from you as they directed you to the corner bench nearby, their claws motioning you to follow, “how are your injuries?”

 

You swallowed before following in their shadow, your eyes watching the swell of muscles in their back; Venom was ungodly thick in every aspect, a body of deadly force, “ They’re uhh getting better...thanks.”

 

“ **Thanks**?” they turned to look at you before seating themself, dwarfing the bench by comparison.

 

_They are too massive, they can kill you, they can rip you to shreds!_

 

...

 

You took a deep breath before stepping closer, doing your best to keep from touching them as you took what little bench was left for yourself, "Well yeah...I wouldn't even be out walking with how thrashed my ankle was before your uhhh...goo.....thing?" you had begun to choke up as their hand had grasped your side of the arm rests to scoot themself close enough to be touching hips with you, their leg pressing firmly against yours, "so...so thanks for that."

 

" **...No problem** ," they hummed before going completely silent, your heart hammering as you waited for some form of conversation to keep you from going insane, " **...we are going to attach you now.** "

 

Looking up from the hole you were burning into your lap, you realized they were looking at you questioningly, you got the sense that they were waiting for you to calm down, "...o-oh okay."

 

They waited a second more before looking to your leg, you turned to look as well. It was still no more surprising than the last time to feel living goo roll over your clothes and sink right into your skin, your chest fluttering as if trying to catch your breath in cold water. It was like your pours themselves were being massaged open to welcome the foreign substance, an odd sensation to say the least. You watched the goo envelope around your entire leg like thick glue, the temptation to poke at it boiling at the back of your head. You were too scared to even consider it.

 

" **You** **hurt yourself** ," you jumped at their voice, your body failing to bounce away with their grasp on you, " **why?** "

 

"Hurt myself?" unsure of what they meant, you prodded at your skin for any bruises, "where did I-OW!" you yelped at a sudden tingling prick shooting through your toe, your heart racing out of fear they were trying to rip you apart, "V-venom please-"

 

" **A fracture**."

 

...

 

"What?" you croaked as your eyes watered from the pain and the hovering panic attack ready to take hold, white-knuckling the hem of your shirt in anticipation for a bite or lethal claw to the face .

 

" **You fractured your toe."**

 

Staring at the maw now pointing in your direction, you took a few beats to gather yourself. It had been a long day afterall and you weren't prepared to be stuffed into a vulnerable and dangerous situation another day in a row. Dabbing at the extra moisture that threatened to spill any second, you stretched out your leg in attempt to get a look at yourself.

 

" I might've kicked something," thinking back on the day you'd had so far, you sighed heavily, "as a matter of fact, I did just a few minutes ago."

 

" **Mmm...why** ?" Venom hummed to you more curiously, " **you don't seem the violent type** ."

 

You were taken aback by their words, more so due to the fact that you couldn't help but wonder why they were trying to make small talk with you , you chalked it up to figuring out how to deal with you , "I-I'm not, I just ...I haven't had the best of sleep so."

 

" **...be careful.** " 

 

...

 

"I'll try."

 

The following minutes were awkwardly silent, save the deep rumbling breath of your bench partner and your free leg bouncing anxiously away. You weren't the most inclined to speak to the monster, neither did you have the courage to even consider getting to know them. You were perpetually scared stiff to the point of  muscles aching. There were plenty of things you'd rather be doing, working at the office included. It's not that you necessarily hated Venom, but you weren't particularly fond of the 'fragile little flesh sack' feeling they gave you. As a matter of fact, you hated it. You didn't want to be there and it was probably about time you'd attempted a retreat.

 

...but why was the healing taking so long?

 

Peeking over to your unique friend , "Ven-uhh?" you felt your body freeze up.

 

A shiver jolted through your spine at the sight of their eyes watching you , fluids dripping a lot more heartily from their mouth than you'd previously seen. Why were they getting so close?

 

"Uhh Venom you-AHH!" you yelped at the sudden pulse that squeezed from your toe all the way up to your...groin? You were immediately yanked from there as they stumbled up to their feet, your hands clipping against the metal of the bench as you struggled to balance yourself.

 

" **We are sorry!** " the goo that had  clung to you was quickly detached, your hip you hadn't known was floating thudding back down into the seat, " **we have to go!** " You flinched as their claw thumped down into your lap before they bolted for the alleyway, your  already boggled mind  racing to keep up with the class.

 

"Wha-wai---bu t my -" you paused the moment you stood, something clinking to the floor as you struggled to find their form in the darkness, "...oh," your key stared back up at you in all its shabby glory, "...okay."

 

...

 

You spared a few more seconds to the alleyway before snatching the thing up, your heart still hammering wildly in your chest from the rather erratic last few moments with your acquaintance. You couldn't fathom being able to do this many more times before requiring therapy from the trauma of just experiencing Venom.

 

It took just  a  few minutes to get to your apartment, your purchases exactly where you'd left them. Just as before, what little energy you had was immediately sapped away upon entry into your home.  It took little to no bargaining with yourself to go and microwave a quick meal. You had a long day dammit and you reserved the right to make poor food decisions! 

 

"This just keeps getting weirder and weirder."

 

Deciding on a long hot shower after a quick chow down, you shuffled your way into the bathroom . The surprises were never fun to be welcomed by though.

 

"What in the world?" once you were bare bummed and standing before your mirror as the steam rolled through the room, you couldn't help spotting dark markings all along your upper and inner thigh, "how did you get there?"

 

They looked almost like...

 

"Hickies," giving them one last regard  you huffed before stepping into the shower, "Oh well."

 

You just wanted sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on:  
> Tumblr | Twitter | Pillowfort


	4. Kiss Me in the R--Wait, That's Not a Kiss!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Say hello to the chapter that started it all. So technically this is the 'first chapter' but meh semantics amiright?

It had been a month since Venom had taken to checking in on you every other night at the same corner they’d dropped you off, not once encroaching on any boundaries that you never spoke into existence save the first two nights you'd met. They were brief with each meeting as to not take up any time, a simple question on how your injuries and health were and then a just as quick exit without another word. You’d never gotten the chance to ask any questions - why they were doing the routine checkups or what they were even wanting out of the visits in the first place - they’d vanish far quicker than you could overcome your initial fear to say anything. You’d grown so used to just going along with the routine that you had even started to forget why exactly you’d feared them in the first place with each meeting, only to be struck terrified at your doorstep when you remembered just what you were dealing with. An unknown monster with the potential of catastrophic proportions for all you knew.

 

Well, they hadn’t done anything yet, you still had all your limbs and appendages attached to where they belonged. Maybe they weren’t as bad a creature as you thought they were. Maybe you didn’t have a reason to be terrified of them. Maybe, just maybe...they actually enjoyed your company. Maybe under all of that fear and apprehension, you enjoyed theirs. Maybe, they wanted a friend. Maybe...

 

How would you get that though? How would you have gotten them to stay long enough to even look at you for more than five seconds? They seemed to have plenty of interest in your well being, but not at all interested in your...being. You knew there was no way you could get them to stay still, to break down your instinctual fear fast enough to get a say in where the conversation led. There was nothing you could do...unless.

 

That night on your way home after work, you had been a half hour off of getting to your meeting place. You had half expected them to have left by then, your person not being of their priority. It was a clear walk home without a single soul showing up as per usual. You gauged the time on your phone as your feet lightly hopped every five steps, a desire to find your neighborhood monster waiting for you at the unlit corner. It was windy that night, a brisk breeze numbing the contours of your cheeks as you kicked through fallen leaves soaked into the cracks of the sidewalk. You wondered if they were worried.

 

It was only a few more minutes before you had tripped up onto the curb in your anxious stupor, your eyes flitting back and forth between the two streets as you leaned against the fire hydrant a couple steps away.

 

There was no one.

 

That was normal, you always having to wait a couple minutes before they showed themselves. You would do exactly the same now.

 

Shifting the bag in your hands to your hip, you flicked through your phone as you looked through your search engine - multiple tabs dedicated to finding goopy black monsters found in history, of course yielding no relatable results. You sighed as you decided on finally closing them, no longer willing to try and do your own digging on the massive being. You would just have to ask them yourself. If they would even show up for you to do that.

 

Five minutes past, then ten, then twenty and then an hour.

 

No one was there.

 

Having waited long enough for your ego to be struck to a sizzling smoke, you decided to try again another day. You slept in your clothes that night out of sheer discouragement. You’d just have to wait the next time they came around.

 

Unfortunately, you started to wonder when that day would come. Over the next couple weeks, you hadn’t heard a word from Venom. Not once had their burly frame come skulking out of the shadows to assess you, a void staring back at you as you waited anxiously for those milky white slits to pierce into your soul.

 

They were gone.

 

At some point, you began to wonder if they had finally let you be, no longer finding it necessary to check in on you. You had mixed feelings on the matter. One side being relieved that you didn’t have a giant otherworldly monster hanging over your shoulder anymore and the other side being disappointed that you didn’t have a giant otherworldly monster hanging over your shoulder anymore. Nonetheless, you had to move on with your life. You couldn’t wait on them forever, you weren’t suppose to in the first place. You couldn’t seem to do that though.

 

It was a particularly cold and rainy night while you were cleaning up your kitchen when you decided on downing a far too many cups of wine out of sheer frustration. The bottle was quickly emptied and forgotten on the floor in a shattered mess for your feet to dance upon in your drunken stupor. You decided you’d deal with it tomorrow when you were sobered and went to watch a movie to whined down for the night. You didn’t even really watch it though, static in the recesses of your mind.

 

You were too preoccupied with thoughts of Venom.

 

You wondered just where they’d gone or if they’d forgotten about you. You were stuck with radio silence for the past while that you started to wonder if they’d gotten themself hurt or even worse.

 

“...well let’s go see,” stumbling off of the couch, you got yourself a cup of water before snatching up your jacket and heading out of your loft...barefoot.

 

You’d succeeded on going straight home every night, never failing to ignore the street corner as if it never even existed. You’d already moved on physically. Mentally, you were still there, waiting in the dark. You wondered about them. Your mental state wasn’t entirely thinking about that though as you had ridden a train of thought that crossed you only minutes ago. It took a bit longer for you to find the corner in such a drunken state, but you did. And you didn’t know what to do once you got there.

 

Leaning against the fire hydrant, you stared at your feet as your mind sluggishly sloshed around for a string of thought to come up. There was nothing, not even a whisper.

 

Rain roared in your ears.

 

Before you decided you were just drunk and needed to get some sleep, the sound of sloshing echoed in the alleyway a few yards away. You felt a blooming in your chest as you clumsily rose to check it out.

 

“V-venom? Is that you?” Listening to the strange sound as you stumbled further into the alleyway, you peered deeper into the dark, “...Helloooo?”

 

The sound stopped.

 

Footsteps, Wet and heavy approached.

 

You could make out a large silhouette, a sense of joy overcoming you, “Okay cool! I was wondering how long it’d be before you came back! I actually ha-“

 

“Sorry to disappoint you sweetheart,” you hadn’t heard their words entirely too clearly as you’d slurred to a stop with your ramble, but you did your best to focus in on the person now towering over you, “but you got the wrong guy,” it took too long to realize you were speaking to a complete stranger, their hands gripping you by the arms as they pulled you in, “but I sure as hell got the right alley though.”

 

“Sssir, I don’t want any tr-ah!” they slapped something out of your hands, the contents mashing into your face and dribbling down into your clothes as they tugged you over to the wall, “w-wait, I can’t, I’m drunk-“

 

“Even better,” they chuckled as they started to tug at the waistband of your sweats, your own hands clumsily reaching to stop their frantic movements, “you won’t remember a thing darlin’.”

 

“Let’s just hang on a second,” you were staring into the brick wall as you felt them press up into your rear, a bulb flickering to come on as you began to realize just what was actually happening, “hey, seriously, this isn’t a good id-“

 

“I’d like to think otherwise, now stop moving.”

 

You almost complied in your intoxication before you reminded yourself to get the hell out of there, “I said stop!” You started to wriggle against them angrily, trying to get their iron grip off of you.

 

“Quit fucking movi-“

 

“NO!” Feeling your hips twist out of their grip, you went to punch them square in the face, “YOU STOP!”

 

Rain roared in your ears.

 

Stumbling into the opposite wall of the alleyway, it took a second for you to realize you had completely missed them. As a matter of fact, you hadn’t even seen anybody behind you. You were alone in the rain, down a dark alleyway, in the middle of the night...drunk.

 

There was no one.

 

Rain roared in your ears.

 

“God I need sleep,” pushing yourself off of the wall, you stumbled your way toward the entrance when you heard it again.

 

The strange sloshing sound echoing in the alley. Except, it was right behind you. Right in your ears.

 

Twisting around to catch the culprit, you growled as you found nothing but the dark abyss of night as you had before.

 

No one.

 

Starting to get a little emotional in your disarray, you felt the hot swell of anxiety flutter in your chest. You were frustrated and confused and there was no reason for you to be out there. You were supposed to be in bed sleeping, enjoying your vacation time. Yet there you were, a drunken mess, futzing around in the ice cold rain...barefoot. You wanted your bed.

 

“Fucking hell,” Sighing, you went to turn around when something peculiar caught your ear; the pattering of rain against a wall...inches in front of your face.

 

...

 

.... _no_.

 

There was most definitely not a wall there before.

 

Reaching out to feel whatever was hidden in plain sight, you jumped as your fingers brushed against solid...rubber? Feeling the substance beat and shift under your fingers, you quirked your head curiously. How could a wall move like that? Tilting your head back to see how far the wall went was when you felt it. The all too familiar stabbing ice cold daggers of utter fear puncturing your lungs, bringing you to a state of drunken sobriety.

 

Staring down at you were milky white slits for eyes, glimmering like stars in the dark - you choked, “...H-hey there...Venom,” they stared, silent and unmoving from their spot as you pushed yourself against them for balance, “h-how’ve you been?” Their teeth flared, eliciting a hiccup of horror out of you.

 

“ **Starving, well, not as much after that meal**.”

 

For some reason, the first word to come out their mouth was the first word that struck you still, your legs nearly buckling as you fought to keep yourself composed. You’d almost forgotten just how terrified you were of this monster in their absence, your heart now pounding dangerously in your ears as you stared back up at them. Not even drinking could dampen the crippling terror in your mind. There was no one else in that dark alleyway.

 

Just you...and Venom.

 

Why were you out there again?

 

“ **Are you alright?** ” That deep commanding voice made you jump in your skin as they curled over you curiously, your head swirling as you struggled to focus on their milky whites.

 

“Wh-what do you mean?”

 

“ **We found you with that turd forcing their hands on you and you were yelling, you weren’t hurt?** ”

 

_So there **was** someone there earlier._

 

“Y-yeah, I guess thanks to you I mean-ahh,” their massive hand came down to push you back a little, their head tilting questioningly at you, “what is it?”

 

“ **...we smell you...something de-...you are dirty.** ”

 

Glancing down at yourself, you fished your phone from your pocket to get a good look in the pouring rain once you realized they were expecting an answer - you fumbled quite a few times under that gaze. One glance at yourself in the bright light though and you remembered just what you had come out there for in the first place. You had been sent home that night with a chocolate cake after your coworkers had decided to just throw it away after the team party. They all cracked jokes about why someone living by themself would want a cake so large, even you marveled at the thought when you decided it was your burden. Now, you were standing before Venom’s massive frame with it smeared all over you realizing why. You had wanted them to have it.

 

“I guess they smacked it out of my hands, I wanted to give it to you bu-uhh,” you jumped as your phone flashed over their face, noticing they were within breathing distance, “Venom?” Their mouth visibly flared as they seemed to sniff you, body rumbling a little through the gesture, “what is it?” You shuffled around them as they pushed closer and closer into your bubble.

 

“ **We would still like to have some?** ” their words came out more like a question than a statement, their head tilting a little as their tongue slithered out from between their razor teeth.

 

You couldn’t very well say no now could you?

 

“Err yeah, of course you can have as much as you like,” you decided you’d bring them the cake once you got home and changed, I’ve got a wh-oooole...lot.......aaat,” you shivered at the feeling of their tongue slithering around your neck, the warmth sending prickly tingles down your spine, “uhhhh,” your mind shut down out of sheer confusion, the comforting and yet horrifying heat stealing your voice as they wrapped their giant hands around you.

 

Venom was a monster of incredible strength and magnitude, yet their tongue was soft and gentle against your freezing flesh. It took you back to the first time they had smeared you with it, reminding you of just how terrified you were as their mouth gaped wide around you in your fragile state. Now was no different, your heart hammering in your chest with anxiety. Yet that tongue was a grounding force that kept you planted and warm.

 

Feeling it slither around your cheeks as it peeled the cake away from your skin, you sighed as you pressed into its touch out of reflex, “Venom...I really think we sho-AHH!” You couldn’t stop the yelp as they shoved their head against you a bit forcibly, pressing you into the wall of the alleyway as their tongue stroked passed the neck of your blouse and across the sensitive skin of your chest, “Ve—-m,” it rolled back and forth, curled, back, forth, again and again on your trembling sternum.

 

Overwhelming.

 

That was the best way you could describe the feeling of being so vulnerable and helpless in front of such a massive beast in freezing cold rain...yet being so warm and oddly secured. You couldn’t find words to form being trapped against a wall with a monster growling down your shirt, tongue slurping away at your body for food. The sensation of razor sharp teeth dripping fluids centimeters from your face as huge hands enveloped your entire being.

 

Overwhelming.

 

You were terrified, warm, confused and above all...exposed. Like a taxidermy butterfly spread out for the world to see. You were losing your breath, you were losing your focus, you were losing your mind.

 

Overwhelming.

 

“V-Veno—-,” reaching out to try and stop their writhing tongue, you immediately yanked back when a snapping growl tumbled out of them. Powerful and primal.

 

“ **Don’t. Move** ,” they fixed you with what you chose to believe was a furiously starved glare as they dipped down further against you, tongue slithering down the soft skin of your belly. You whined at the new feeling of closeness.

 

Slurp, curl, roll, slurp, curl, drag......curl, slurp.

 

Watching the massive creature hunch over you even further, you stared at their large head now leveled with yours. Dripping with water and other fluids, their eyes almost closed as their jaw stretched wider by the second. They were in a whole nother world, almost a crazed predatory look to them as they bombarded you on all sides. They grumbled and growled and purred against you with every stroke of their tongue on your skin, a sensation hot and tingling compared to the icy rain you stood in.

 

“Venom please, I have more——-“ they moved further, you cracked.

 

Not caring if the chocolate had gotten that far, you finally went to push their head away when they pushed even deeper against you - your knees immediately buckled in shock, your hands grasping onto their broad shoulders, “Venom there isn’t anymore cake on me-“

 

“ **There is** ,” like a rag doll, you were lifted up into them as their eyes seemed to close entirely as a deep whiney purr hummed through them. They were not focused, they were not listening. Venom was not there. They clocked out of the scene.

 

_Stop them, stop them, **STOP THEM!**_

 

“Wh-where I don’t fe-FUCK!”

 

Almost like a switch, Venom erected themself at your scream, “ **we hurt you** ,” they seemed to sniff and rub at your now slobbered clothes with worry instead of...hunger, “ **where did we hurt-** “

 

“Put me down!” You felt yourself snap out of reflex, your fingers prying at their iron grip, “I’m fine, just let go!” They were too close, you needed to reassess.

 

“ **We are sorry** ,” they released without hesitation, backing away significantly, “ **not our intention...the chocolate-** “

 

“I get it,” you reeled at them, your hands pulling and fluffing at your clothes as if they would magically dry from a bit of a shake, “it’s okay, I’m alright,” not really able to look at them, you grumbled at the heat now crawling through your veins, “y-you just surpr—err scared me.”

 

“ **W-we...we’re sorry.** ”

 

“Stop apologizing okay? It’s not even that...Just—-hmm,” remembering just who exactly you were talking to a little too late and just how mortal you really were in that exact moment, you decided it was in your best interest to get out of there immediately, “i gotta go,” it was in that first step that you realized you wouldn’t make it, pitching forward as your vision swirled, “shit.”

 

“ **Careful** ,” you weren’t prepared for massive hands to scoop you up, but they did and you were utterly miserable for it, “ **don’t want you hurting yourself again.** ”

 

“Right,” snapping your arms around their bulging neck, you watched just how far the ground became in such a grasp, “I’m honestly fine Venom d-duhh!” You jerked back as they creeped in on your face again, “Venom I really should get-“

 

“ **We missed some**.”

 

“...what?” Sluggishly, your mind caught up to you, “where?”

 

“ **Your face.** ”

 

 _God damn it_.

 

Not really wanting them to get any closer in your now panicked state, you felt the horrid twisting knots in your gut at your helplessness to walk away. You would just plop right back on your face, an embarrassed mess of a drunkard. Not to mention, you still couldn’t get rid of that pesky instinctual fear to say no. You swallowed. They were watching you intently, a low patient but begging grumble in their chest. You inwardly whimpered.

 

“...go ahead I guess.”

 

“ **Thank you.** ”

 

The rumble of gratitude would have shaken you more if you weren’t so focused on the tongue that unfurled from their mouth for the second time that night, your heart pounding as those tingles rolled over your skin again. Watching it sway back and forth, you hadn’t expected it to come so close to your mouth.

 

But it had, too close. Far too close, so close you felt your entire being implode as it swirled between your parted lips and around the tip of your nose. You lagged behind at the sensation, your mind not once believing it would ever occur. Not once thinking a beast so large would lick you in such a way. Yet there you were, frozen stiff as the appendage nudged against your soft skin. A span of one second.

 

Hot electricity blasted through you, zapping down your spine as you nearly slinked into their arms. Your fingers stapled down as your head swam, eyes fluttering as that tongue dragged against your cold lips. You were sinking, drowning in the new sensation as euphoria started to break through. Hot and cold biting into you everywhere, slowly succumbing to the whisper in the back of your mind. Your jaw began to slacken, lips slowly pa-

 

It was gone.

 

Your eyes immediately popped open, your head easing back into a sobering state. Venom’s jaw was shut tight, teeth smiling at you as their head tilted bemusedly. You were settled into reality once again, limbs tense.

 

_What the hell just happened?_

 

“ **Alcohol.** ”

 

Jumping at the growly grunt, you rubbed your nose as you thought back on all the events that took place that night, “...I’m drunk.”

 

“...”

 

“...”

 

“ **...can you walk?** ”

 

“...”

 

“...”

 

“...no.”

 

“...”

 

“...do you wanna come over?”


	5. Bring it all Back

Sitting awkwardly still on your couch, you stared blankly at the lit television as you sipped quietly on a cup of water. Your thoughts weren’t entirely worried about what moving colors would be entertaining you for the night, mainly because you had half a ton of it already fumbling with your toes right then.  
  
“Venom, I can take care of it myself.”  
  
“No-“  
  
“But-“  
  
“ **No, now be still** ,” you bit your lip out of embarrassment, eyes watching the monster focusing intensely on your feet. While it was true that you needed them to bring you back to your apartment, you didn’t think their mothering was necessary. You knew how to handle yourself, but how the hell do you tell a nine foot stack of monster that?  
  
“Venom seriously I’m not-“  
  
“ **No!** ” their teeth snapped at you a little as you tried to pry their goo from your skin, immediately sending you flinching back into the couch, “this is the third time with your feet morsel.”  
  
You hadn’t even realized that your soles were cut up, much less seeping blood all over the place. Turns out stepping on broken glass from a wine bottle wasn’t as safe as your drunk self thought it was. Venom had recognized the smell once you’d gotten them into the loft, something in them snapping the moment they spotted your reddened feet. To put it shortly, they didn’t seem too happy with you at the moment.  
  
“...I didn’t mean to,” you croaked as you fought back the threatening tears, your mind focused solely on the pain of glass being sucked out of your skin.  
  
“...” they didn’t respond, your heart sinking with how disappointed they were acting.  
  
You were hurt, “I wouldn’t have drank if I knew it was gonna go this way,” you mumbled a little haughtily, downing the rest of your water in the process, “but maybe if you didn’t make my life a living hell I wouldn’t have.”  
  
...  
  
 _Whoa wait what?_  
  
“ **We don’t control your poor de** -“ You felt the goo around your feet squeeze tightly, pulsing as milky white slits locked onto you, “ **...what?** ”  
  
Pausing in your own self pity, you had a moment of pure anger rush through your veins, “you heard me,” filling your cup with the water pitcher on the side table, you took to drinking some more, “you come barreling into my day to day life without a care in the world while I’m over here every night wondering when the hell you’re gonna kill me, what do you expect me to do? Sit and wait all pretty like a Victorian aged virgin till death?” You felt the anger boiling up as you thought of all the things you wanted to say before quickly simmering to mild irritation when you successfully processed that it was probably a bad idea to take that route, “you aren’t the most welcoming visage for a midnight run you know.”  
  
“...” they were silent, your eyes focused on the television now at the realization of all the things you’d just spoken - alcohol was definitely not your friend in that moment, bringing out the sass in you, “ **...we don’t want to hurt you**.”  
  
“Pfft, no point in lying at this-“  
  
“ **WE DON’T**!” You flinched at their shout, wincing as the goo around your feet pulsed into an even tighter squeeze, “w **e’ve been trying to protect you, but you-** “  
  
“I’m bound to get hurt just like everybody else Venom,” you held onto that bubble of courage you were apparently sporting for the night, refusing to let fear win for now, “I’m an adult and I make mistakes and I’ll get hurt again further down the line-“  
  
“ **WELL WE DON’T WANT YOU TO!!** ” you could hear the ripping of stitches where they now gripped the couch as they leaned in close to you, teeth practically bared as they growled a challenge.  
  
Maybe it wasn’t the time to say anything with how volatile they were acting, but you couldn’t believe the way they were trying to run the conversation, “ **stop acting like a child**.”  
  
...  
  
“ **Wha-** “ If their eyes could go any wider, their entire head would’ve been white, “ **we’re not a child** -“  
  
“I didn’t say you were, I said stop acting like one,” you noticed the goo seem to bristle before laying flat to their form again, their eyes still giant puddles on their face, “you can’t control everything I do, you’re bordering on abuse at this point,” taking another sip, you realized how tired you were with the way the corners of your eyes began to darken, “you’re acting like a childish little abusive parasite and-“  
  
“ **WE ARE NOT A PARASITE!** ”  
  
“Oh my G*D I-“ pausing in your tracks at the sudden tightening grip around your thighs, you looked to find goo enveloping your entire lower half, “Venom Wha-“  
  
You froze at the sight of them, your heart sinking a little in the process. Their eyes cast down to their hands, an almost cartoonish sadness overcoming them. You could hear the faint sound of a whine from somewhere inside them.  
  
“Venom what’s the matter?”  
  
They didn’t respond, almost as if they had shut down. You weren’t sure of what to do until they seemed to grimace in place, shoulders slouching even more than they already were. As if they were being scolded...but you hadn’t said anything?  
  
“Venom I don’t underst-“  
  
A deep growl cut through your words.  
  
You nearly choked on your own tongue when they moved in on you, your mind blanking on what to do as their arms tugged you into them for a...hug? They held fast as you struggled to set your water down, your head spinning from the sudden shift in position. There were far too many things happening at once and your intoxicated conscious couldn’t handle it.  
  
“Venom, now’s probably not the-ffuck,” you gasped at the feeling of cold running up your body, your eyes fixing on the goo pulsing and rolling its way up your belly where you lay, “V-venom, you’re too cl-oh my god,” you panicked as the substance enveloped your chest and further, its form almost aggressive in nature.  
  
“ **You should sleep** ,” you tried to look at them for an answer, but the substance was quick to soak your tongue, your mind slowing to a stop as you collapsed into darkness.  
  
You were dead.  
  
...  
  
That’s what you thought anyway, until the hum of a rather gentle voice pricked your ears. The soft brush of calloused fingers along your arm got you to stir from whatever sleep spell you’d fallen under, your eyes prying open to the sight of your pillows smushed against your face.  
  
You felt sluggish as you turned your head to the sound that’d stirred you, your heavy eyes landing on a rather scruffy face staring at you, “what are you doing here E—-ie?” You could barely mumble through your haze, your body still weighted with sleep.  
  
The man smiled a little at you, his lips full as he whispered something back. You could barely make out the words, nor were you sure there were any. You were dreaming after all and sounds tended to jumble up when you did. Not to mention you apparently knew who he was.  
  
“...I miss you,” you more so thought the words than spoke them, unsure of why you would even feel that way for a stranger.  
  
The shock on his face told you he was just as surprised by your words as he stopped his caressing of your arm, mouth partially open as he thought of what to say. It was a dream, but you were never good at controlling everyone else’s reactions so it didn’t surprise you that he did nothing more than chuckle.  
  
The entire moment felt warm to you, almost nostalgic as he returned to running his hand along your arm without a word. Something about him seemed familiar, but you couldn’t place what nor did you have the energy to spare to find out. You weren’t sure when, but you blacked out not too long after. That was when your alarm screamed in your ear.  
  
Grumbling in protest, you pushed yourself out of your blankets. The nasty taste of old alcohol let you know you were lucky not to have a hangover, your legs immediately carrying you to the bathroom to wash out the grime. You felt gross from your head to your toes, a shower in your calling for the day. Something you would immediately regret.  
  
“Oh my G-d,” you felt knots form in your stomach at the sight of your skin, the same markings littering your inner thighs and all the way up to your chest and, “looks like someone fucking choked the hell out of me,” you thought back on the night before, memories bringing you to your time with Venom, “....” deciding to drop the bruise situation, you made quick work of your shower time.  
  
You just wanted out of that apartment.  
  
Fortunately, it was a clear and sunny day after such a heavy storm the night before. You decided a trip to one of the fancy cafes in town would be your treat for the day, something to lighten your mood. You’d taken to a cute little number to wear, a desire to feel attractive while also dressing convenient with your sneakers. It wasn’t anything to write home about, but it gave the allure that you wanted.  
  
“...” staring at the faded brown of the bedroom door, sweat formed at the palm of your hands.  
  
You’d let Venom into your home last night, allowed them knowledge that made you all the more vulnerable than you already were. Who was to say they weren’t sleeping on your sofa right then? Who was to say they weren’t preparing to blast through your door and rip you to shreds? Take over your home and turn it into a nest to breed and spawn more of themself? Okay, that last one was a little dramatic, but still.  
  
You listened for any noise on the other side before opening the door, breath held as you prayed you were just being anxious. Lo and behold, you were. There were no traces of a giant goo monster having been in your loft, save the loose stuffing of your couch...and ripped cake box stuffed crudely in the trash.

 

"...Later," deciding you were better off dealing with remembering last night in the future, you charged your way to the door and out of your complex.

 

Your trip outside was very much a welcome breath of fresh air, excluding all of the jammed traffic everywhere. You hadn't had a proper time outside where you didn't feel like you were floating, your head was screwed on amazingly well at the moment. You felt like yourself for once.

 

"You deserve a big fat platter of cookies and some tea," you hummed to yourself as you shuffled with the crowd out into the shopping district, your tummy growling at the idea of something so sinful, "ohhh you deserve it."

 

It was fairly warm in the crowd of people hovering around you, not your ideal morning, but not a drainer in any way seeing as how you were suffocated by a pile of goo last night.

 

...

 

_Not thinking about them._

 

The quiet hum of conversation could be heard through the noisy traffic, the occasional friendly nod from those heading the opposite way as you located your shop. A nice little hole-in-the-wall mom and pop cafe that you'd only tried once and absolutely loved. Your skin prickled at the delicious idea of stuffing yourself full of goodies.

 

Reaching for the handle, you were cut off by a larger hand grasping onto it, "Oh sorry, are you going in?" the voice pricked your ears to attention, familiarity running through your head as you spotted the same man from the night before, "oh hey! Fancy meeting you here."

 

"Oh hi! Crazy coincidence," you couldn't help but smile at his own, your heart racing for some reason at the sight of it, "so what brings you out here?" you hummed as you stopped for him to follow behind, your hands failing to find somewhere to rest.

 

"Ahh this is actually a favorite place of mine," he rubbed at his nose as he regarded the cozy little cafe, "been going here for a while."

 

"Really?" you quirked, relieved that you had at least one thing to talk about, "I've only been here once and I fell in love right away. Their lemon shortbreads and double fudge brownies are absolute bombs."

 

You watched him chuckle animatedly at your words, his smile never leaving his face, "that's good to hear," his hand found the back of his neck as he seemed to contemplate something, his eyes looking around for a moment, "d'you wanna...eat together?" you looked to him curiously as he cleared his throat, "I mean, I don't have anywhere to be for the next uhhh two hours? So I can uhh...uhh eat with you if that's- that'sreallypresumptuousofmeI'msorryI'mbeingreally-"

 

"I'd really like that actually," you cut off his ramble as you thought on his request, a humanly need coming over you as you spoke, "I haven't had much chatter with huma-uhh anyone other than coworkers for quite a while," you cleared your throat as the anxiety-inducing thought of Venom filled your head, your palms growing sweaty once more as you pushed the invasive thoughts down, "thank you for offering."

 

He blinked at you a couple of times before a very subtle blush grew around his ears, "uhhh of course."

 

You'd made your purchase of a lemon shortbread and full batch of fudge brownies to go and a hot chamomile tea for the visit. Your anonymous acquaintance decided on a hot chocolate - which you didn't question - and a batch of chocolate chip cookies for the road. A fatty and sinful meal you would both enjoy.

 

\----

 

“Oh that was absolutely delicious,” you hummed as you stepped out the door your companion was holding for you, hands filled with the bags of your brownies and cookies, “that’s gotta be the best shortbread I’ve had in a long while,” you waited out on the sidewalk for him to follow, maneuvering around the few folk that were heading in the opposite direction.

 

“Yeah, probably my favorite places around here,” he chuckled as he maneuvered around you, pacing to your step, “haven’t been here in a while so uhh...it was nice.”

 

“Well I’m glad you decided to come here, you were a great chat,” you hummed appreciatively before leaning into him a little, ruminating over the gentle laughter you had together.

 

“Ohh uhhh, no...no problem,” if you’d looked, you would’ve seen the hint of blush forming on his cheeks, “I uhh I had fun.”

 

“So, how much time do you have left before heading off?”

 

“Well,” with a quick glance of his watch, he moved to carefully take your bags, “I’ve got another hour or so,” you watched him shuffle around you to the outer part of the sidewalk, a warmth filling your tummy at the cheesie chivalry, “what about you?”

 

“Well, I’m free for the day,” you chuckled before carefully looping your arm into his, already comfortable enough to be so close, “I’ve had a...wild past few days so a vacation was in order,” an anxiousness overwhelmed you for a moment, the thought of heading to your apartment near suffocating, “...you wouldn’t mind if I kidnap you for a while?”

 

“Oh a bandit wishes to steal away me? A fair princess?” you nearly burst out laughing, nudging him, “I have no choice if I’m to be taken for ransom now do I?”

 

“I’m going to assume that’s a yes,” he chuckled as you rolled your eyes.

 

“Of course.”

 

You spent what little time left together at the park near your home, bantering on about the most random and mundane things as people passed by. It was full of laughter, full of the strangest of conspiracies and filled with comfort. You were having more fun than you could possibly ever remember having for quite some time. You didn’t feel suffocated, didn’t feel terrified, didn’t feel...small.

 

Vulnerable.

 

Time passed so quickly that it felt like just a few minutes before your companion excused himself, “well hopefully I can see you again sometime soon?”

 

“I’d love that honestly, you’re a great chat,” dusting yourself off as you stood, you quirked before looking at him curiously, “I...never got your name.”

 

“Oh wow,” he slapped his on forehead, “I thought you already knew it for some reason, I guess good convo can do that sometimes,” he seemed contemplate something for a moment before smiling, “Eddie.”

 

And it hit you like a ton of bricks, your mind pausing in its tracks, “I...Eddie? Eddie Brock?” he quirked at your rather flabbergasted expression, almost nervous in response, “wow...oh my g-d it’s been years, I was wondering why you looked so familiar,” he seemed to look at you a bit more curiously, still apprehensive, “Principal Smith? Head shaved bald for graduation and dressed like a banana?” he seemed a lot more surprised now, eyes lighting up like fireworks.

 

“Wait...___?” you let out a belted laugh as he finally registered who you were, wrapping you up in his big arms, “I can’t believe...oh man, I haven’t heard from you in ages. We sat next to each other in every class all of freaking highschool,” he pulled back a little, a grin so wide it emphasized the gentle crows feet around his eyes, “you look so good.”

 

“Oh don’t butter me up now,” you slapped his shoulder before checking the time again, “I know you have to go, but I can give you my number if you wanna keep talking?”

 

“Pshh of course!” he whipped out his phone for you as he maneuvered to grab his things from the bench you were resting at, looking around as you punched in your info, “maybe uhh...maybe we can get together later this week? I mean uhh, my schedule isn’t _entirely_ booked so-”

 

“That sounds great Eddie,” giving him a soft smile, you returned his phone before sighing, “I release thee unto your worldly business fair maiden.”

 

He chuckled, giving you a bow before immediately going into a hug, “it’s nice to see you again.”

 

And you waved him off.

                                                                              

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought I'd go ahead and force myself to rewrite this lost chapter before the end of the year. My birthday is New Years so I guess it's a bit of a treat to myself as well. I also dedicated my last piece of the year to Eddie B/Tom H so there's another treat for you guys. You guys take care and let's do our best to keep our heads on right this next decade. See you on the other side.


	6. Find me in the Hall of Mirrors

It’d been a long time since you smiled. A long time since you’d felt at peace. A long time since you’d felt like yourself.

 

But Eddie helped you feel a thread of normalcy in your daily life.

 

It’d already been three weeks since you’d started texting back and forth. Three weeks since you’d found a childhood friend that you actually still cared for deeply and wanted to bring back a connection with. Three weeks since you’d planned a date for a good time.

 

Today was that day.

 

He’d stolen you away every morning of your vacation to the little cafe, having a tea or just chatting away about any recent events in your life. Now the date was finally here. You were filled with butterflies, nervous tingles running through you with every step you made around the house as you rushed to get ready for the evening. You were antsy, ready for fun, ready for good conversation, ready to enjoy yourself. It’d been far too long.

 

“Oooo I can’t WAIT,” you squealed out of excitement, fishing up your clothes and doing double takes until you were satisfied with every angle of yourself, “this is gonna be great!”

 

It’d been too long since you’d seen Eddie, he was a great friend then and he was a great friend now. It was like going back to the highschool classroom, cracking jokes and dropping philosophy within the same minute. He hadn’t changed much, just older and a lot more seasoned...a lot more masculine.

 

“Get it together,” you shook your head in awe of your own thoughts, your belly fluttering once more as you finally exited your home, “let’s get through the night and see how it goes girl.”

 

You’d both agreed on a trip to the carnival currently in time. There hadn’t been much partying in your life recently as Eddie had decided you were just too absorbed with work.

 

 _“_ _A little bit of cotton candy and ring tossing should get your stiff legs moving again.”_

 

You smiled all the way to the trolley.

 

It was a quick trip a few blocks when you arrived at the ever-booming carnival gates, the banter of happy crowds flowing to and fro inside. It smelled of popcorn and cooking sugar, strands of cotton candy floating around in the air. Lights glimmered by every inch, bright and colorful like stars as you admired the view.

 

“I’m pretty sure I’m the one you should be admiring,” you chuckled at the quip of your acquaintance, looking over your shoulder to find him with arms wide as if offended by your actions, “I mean c’mon...I’m the only view worth ogling at around here.”

 

“Right,” turning with a cross of your arms to give him a good once over, you grinned, “you fill out that leather jacket really well,” he seemed a little taken aback by your comment, clearing his throat as he regained steam.

 

“Well I can’t say I thought I’d out-dress you,” he eyed you with a tilt of his head, clearly trying to remain polite with his actions, “you look just as good as you did years ago.”

 

“Oh really? I think I’d have to say I’m a lot sexier than I was back then.”

 

“...Yeah well you got me there, not as gnarly as before,” you couldn’t help a chuckle at his teasing, giving him a light punch as he offered you his arm, “shall we have a bit of fun ye old werewolf?”

 

“Lead the way dummy.”

 

Although he’d only just got there, you could feel a tension in his body. Taut and near snapping. You’d noted the light bags under his eyes and the little bit of sweat forming on his brow, but you made no comment. It wasn’t your place to dig into his business, no matter how much it concerned you.

 

_Just get in and have a good time...for him._

 

You spent the majority of the time walking around, watching a colorful array of people moving in and out of the tents, dragging big prizes and bags of treats around. There were a few times that you’d found yourself separated from Eddie, him somehow vanishing and reappearing in places you’d thought you’d looked before. He’d comeback with a little treat or a drink and give them to you, only for you to pass by the tent about ten minutes before you’d even catch sight of particular vendor he shopped from. It was strange, but you didn’t question it. You just wanted to have fun.

 

And have fun you did.

 

Eddie nothing short of a gentleman. He took your hand when needed, guiding you through too large of crowds and helping you find a seat when needed. He even held your jacket when you started feeling too hot from all the stuffy air, tying it around your waist for you after you had a round with a boxing dummy. He was there for you even though you didn’t need him to be, he was just that attentive to you. You felt comfortable.

 

A particular moment that made the icing on the cake was a brawl that had broken out near you while you were looking for another game to play. You’d been minding your own business, when you were sucked into the crowd by other passersby trying to get through. You felt panicked as you were shoved left and right, unsure of where you were headed until you taken from the neck and shoved out of the way. You nearly toppled over, but Eddie was there to help you. He caught you, his large hands warm against your arms as he pulled you away.

 

“Are you okay?” he asked, hands carefully checking your face as he looked you in the eyes to confirm.

 

“...yeah,” your stomach fluttered at how gentle he was with you, the soft rub of his thumbs against your cheeks silencing you.

 

He was too handsome.

 

“Good,” he pulled you into a hug before pulling you along, “well I found a booth we haven’t tried yet if you want to go?”

 

“Oh hell yeah,” the mention of a new game snapped you right out of your thoughts, the desire to play far more pressing, “let’s go!”

 

The host of the game looked you over before running his lines, “alrighty folks, to win, all you gotta do is shoot the targets off the counter here, you get three shots and that’s it so make’em count!” you were quick to pay your due, taking up your gun to get started along side your date, “have fun and good luck!”

 

There was a moment of Eddie nudging you to mess you up before anyone got serious, you pinching his arm in turn so you could focus, “So I never got to ask you,” you braced yourself against the shelf of the tent, gun snug against your shoulder, “what do you do for a living?” you pulled the trigger, nipping your target but failing to fell it.

 

“Oh,” he sniped, missing his target as well, “I uhh, I’m actually a reporter slash journalist, working the cases that really land in the nitty-gritty.”

 

“So those classes really paid off then I take it?” you sniped, missed again.

 

“Ahh yeah, it’s been a crazy job to undertake, but pretty rewarding if you ask me,” he sniped, missed again, “actually these past few months have been amazing.”

 

“What? Make a new secret little friend?” you sniped again, clearing your target from the rack.

 

“Congratulations young lady!” the host and a few other folk clapped along to your victory, “here’s your prize!” you gaped at the giant burrito-shaped black cat settled into your arms, it’s little white beady eyes glowing against its plush fur, “please enjoy!”

 

“Oh my g-d,” you snuggled the thing close, its weight a little hefty in your arms, “you’re such a cute little chonker,” turning to give Eddie a good view, you noted how stiff he seemed, “what? Not gonna take your last shot?”

 

“I already missed,” he shrugged before reaching over and giving the stuffed animal a gentle rub, “at least one of us is on top of our game...he’s a cutie.”

 

“Heeeey,” you jerked the animal away, giving him a pout as you stepped back, “I’m not about to let you steal my good chunky boy, I won him fair and square.”

 

“Trust me, I’ve got my own hands full with a chubby little punk.”

 

“Awww! I _ha_ v _e_ to see them,” you hipped your prize before hooking your arm into his, “I gotta know what your best friend looks like.”

 

“Ahehehe-ahem!” he cleared his throat almost comically, checking his watch before pointing you down the path, “yeah sure-let’s go find a seat yeah?”

 

“Well if you’re ready to go, we can always do that,” you were still not commenting on how ragged he seemed, but you didn’t want him to push himself if you could help it, “I’m honestly kinda hungry.”

 

“Oh uhh did you have a place in mind?”

 

“...My place is fine,” you didn’t really give anyone the right of passage into your safe space, but you trusted him well enough to allow an exception, “if you’re comfortable with that of course?”

 

“Uhh...pshhyeah I’m down-uhh down with that,” he stuttered over his words, clearly unsure of what to do with his hands as they rose and fell on far too many counts, “if that’s alright with you?”

 

You couldn’t help a hearty laugh, nudging him with your shoulder, “I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t mean it,” you carefully pulled him along toward the gate, “c’mon you dork, I’ll make us some bagels or something.”

 

Tracking your way back home didn’t come out as anything very riveting, just quiet and peaceful as you both watched the people passing you and basked in each others presence. You’d spent a lot more time at the carnival than you originally thought, having gone around on every ride and ending with a big fat prize to take home. You were actually quite sleepy. He didn’t admit it, but Eddie seemed a bit tired himself as well.

 

“Here we are,” you hummed as you made it back to your apartment in peace, your immediate thought running back to what your living home looked like, “uhh, do you mind giving me one second?”

 

“Not at all,” he hummed as you got yourself inside.

 

Immediately, you spotted the torn fabric of the couch, your mind freezing in its tracks. Your stomach sunk at the worry of what had happened the night before, wondering if your monster friend was actually alright. Maybe you should end the date now and-

 

“No-not right now,” you rushed to pick up any stray clothes from the floor and run them to your room, your attention returning to your current guest at hand, “just enjoy yourself.”

 

Getting everything situated, you went to get Eddie, “come on in,” you stepped aside.

 

“Oh uhh,” he seemed to hesitate at the frame a little, hands bawling a bit before he finally stepped inside, you made no comment.

 

“Go ahead and take your shoes off if you want,” you hummed before shuffling your way into the kitchen where you spotted the batch of fudge brownies your boss had sent you home with, “...”

 

_Venom…_

 

You had allowed the batch of cookies you’d bought on your first day away from them to go sour, having tossed them out the day prior as they collected dust on the counter. You didn’t want to believe you’d bought them for the monster, but you hadn’t even had a craving for chocolate in the longest time. They were there subconsciously every second of the day, you weren’t sure of why anymore though. All you knew was that you-

 

“You okay?” you were startled by Eddies presence, shaking out of your stupor to get yourself a bite of one of the brownies so you didn’t look like a completely crazy person staring at them.

 

“Uhh yeah, sorry,” pulling out some stuff from the fridge, you turned to him with a sigh, “what’ya think of some pesto chicken?”

 

“Sounds delicious,” he leaned on his elbows, watching you slice up the meat before tossing it onto a baking tray, “need any help?”

 

“If you wanna cut up some veggies, you’re welcome to,” you pointed to the garlic and potatoes next to you, “more hands are always better.”

 

He shuffled his way into the kitchen, “sure thing,” he sidled up next to you and began his appointed duty.

 

“Ahh crud,” you hissed as the sound of your phone going off echoed in the other room, “gimme a second,” you sighed as you washed your hands and rushed back to your bedroom, eyeing his cutting job which made him chuckle with a playful ‘what?”

 

Snatching your phone up, you checked the caller ID before shutting it off. You knew your coworkers were going to pry about the date, but you had no intention of even making a peep. Now if things went further, then maybe.

 

Sighing, you headed back to the living room where you heard the quietest of whispers. Peeking out from the door, you could see Eddie leaning over the sink with a cooking spool. He was mumbling away about something, but you couldn’t tell what.

 

You decided you wouldn’t eavesdrop, clearing your throat as he went to turn the water off. Only, your intended affect completely backfired, water spraying him from head to torso as he snapped the faucet to full blast.

 

“Ahh shit,” he grumbled as water poured from his face, flinging his arms to try and will away the liquid.

 

“Oh my-” you tried to keep from laughing, but you couldn’t stop the hard snort that escaped you, “are you okay?” he gave you a sopping wet puppy look before pointing to himself.

 

“Yeah, just a...little wet.”

 

“It’s freaking cold out,” you pried, thinking for a moment, “take off your clothes, I’ll go hang them.”

 

“I mean if you’ve got a sweater I can wear,” he went to unbutton his top, the simple action catching your attention.

 

You could’ve sworn you saw something move, but it was entirely possible your eyes were playing tricks on you, “y-yeah, lemme go get something,” you turned back to your bedroom, digging through your closet for the millions of oversized zip-hoodies you had, “any particular color you like?!” you shouted in hopes he could hear you, shuffling through the box of winterwear.

 

“Uhh black I guess!”

Taking his request into account, you folded the cloth in your arms before heading out, “okay so I’m definitely positive this’ll...fit.”

 

Eddie hadn’t much of a look to him back in school, in fact, you were sure he was thinner than you back then. To see him peel away his clothes now was an absolute shock, nothing but muscle along his body. Underneath the button up was a black top so tight that you could make out the v-cut of his waist.

 

“Thanks,” he hummed before taking the hoodie and handing you his clothes, it’s fabric fitting only slightly loose from his body, “..._____?”

 

Shaking your head, you cleared your throat, “Sorry, anyway, I’ll be right back,” turning away, you ruminated on your thoughts.

 

Something about his top seemed familiar. Something about its texture, or maybe the patterned white trails running through it. You weren’t sure, but it seemed odd to you.

 

_You’re just tired, go cook and chill._

 

Shrugging your shoulders, you settled his clothes out on your balcony before returning to your date. A room full of laughter and general comfort as you both settled into a calm for the night.

 

You felt at home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm next one gets a bit hotter lads.


	7. Got Me on the Edge

“Stop! You’re gonna spill it everywhere,” you playfully snatched your cup of juice away from him as you settled back onto the couch next to him, knocking some back before laying back against the armrest, “I go to change for one second and you’re stealing everything of mine, you heathen!”

 

“I’m taking what is due for you kidnapping me you bandit,” he chuckled as he pinched at your shin, pulling your legs into his lap to rest his hands, “that’s actually some really good pomegranate though.”

 

“That would be why I bought it and proceeded to pour myself some,” you quipped sarcastically, setting the glass onto the table as you settled into your sweater and bed shorts, “anyway,  who’s turn was it?” you pointed to your phone on the table from your earlier conversations.

 

You had a wonderful dinner, bantering on the latest company revealed to have had some rather malicious dealings covered up with money. Eddie seemed to know a lot about the stuff and quite frankly enjoyed to talk your ear off about it. You didn’t mind. 

 

Movies were played for background noise, but you were both more interested in going down memory lane and poking fun at each others embarrassing stories. You in particular having a grand old time nagging him for all the dumb stuff he’d done. You couldn’t help a burst of laughter when he told you how he ended up in a lobster tank in the middle of a restaurant, it was odd but still quite funny to hear in detail.  It felt like how you used to be, hanging out around school and just chilling on each other.

 

Eventually, neither of you were able to come up with any questions to ask anymore so you decided a dumb question generator would suffice enough to steer an interesting conversation for the night. It was chalk-full of teeny-bopper questions, of which neither of you had an issue talking about, but you were looking for the more profound questions to  get into . It lasted a while, but eventually, it just ended on the oddest note. So you were there waiting for another question.

 

“I uhh, I completely forgot,” he snatched it up.

 

“Ahh well go ahead then,” you sighed as you tugged at the strings of your shorts,  looking around the  loft as you waited .

 

“ Alright uhhhh-oh,” he chuckled before clearing his throat, “when was the last time you slept with anyone?”

 

“Ahh jeez this bitch is barren my dude,” you huffed as you pointed to yourself, “I’ve rubbed one out more times in the last year than I can count the...sex...I’ve been busy,”  the fact that you were indeed no longer in highschool anymore reared its ugly head ,  the fact that  you were a grown up and so was the man sitting next to you...an d you couldn’t deny that you held an attraction  to your best friend  made itself  very well  known , hyper aware of how warm his palms were on your legs, “...and you?”

 

He was quiet a lot longer than you’d expected for something so simple, maybe he was realizing the situation at hand himself,  “Hmm not recently no,” you weren’t sure with how dim the lights were, but you could’ve sworn he started to blush at the question, “I’m pretty busy myself so...”

 

“ Right, cause video journalism doesn’t get you the hotties,” you cracked, miming a hand slapping an ass as you impersonated a man guzzling cigarettes, “Eddie Brock here, gettin’ laid since I was born, I came out the womb bangin’ the babes,” he broke into laughter at your stupidity, sending you into a giggle fit yourself as you tried to continue, “check out these guns honey, you need arms of steel to muscle these cases to justice...and bang babes-”

 

“That’s not how it works,” he had to catch his breath before continuing, wiping away a few stray tears of amusement, “and no I just...” you felt his hand squeeze at your shin, eyes dragging up and stopping at your thighs before he looked away, “...don’t have the time,” it was a lie, you didn’t comment.

 

There was a long pause of silence before he handed you the phone, your fingers immediately tapping the screen for the next question  to try and air out the tension , “ahh here we go, when was the last time you fell completely in love with a stranger?”

 

“Ahaha!” he looked around a second, searching his head as you went to sip some more juice, “the last time...I guess maybe a month ago?”

 

“Oh really?” you sat up to gather the dinner dishes from the table, heading into the kitchen as you  waited for him to finish, “how so?”

 

“I mean...they were quiet in commute, a smile that was  _way_ too soft to be on a human being,” you start ed clearing  any mess in the kitchen, listening to the affection that was behind his words, “I honestly can’t forget the gentle giggle they made while staring at their phone,  whatever was entertaining them ...it was nice...they were  beautiful .”

 

“That sounds absolutely adorable,” you grinned as you packed away the extra food,  glad he was willing to open up to you so freely  about intimacy .

 

“You?”

 

“Ahh well...actually,” your mind immediately shot back to  the massive silhouette you met in the mall , your heart racing as you fought that crazy idea away, “...a month ago as well,” clearing your throat, you r egistered that you were talking about Eddie, noting his  own  answer which only made you feel even more self conscious, “they were just really kind and had the cutest goofy smile I’d seen.  They decided to share it with me, it was warm. ”

 

“...Oh.”

 

Another long pause of silence before he dug for a question, “... do you have any regrets?”

 

Once again, you were bombarded with thoughts of Venom. The last time you’d seen him, the things you’d said to him. You felt guilty, but you didn’t regret saying what you said. No, there was something else...something you weren’t sure of that you couldn’t pinpoint...something you felt, but weren’t sure of.  Something you thought you’d wanted to say.

 

“...I do,” you sighed.

 

“Yeah, sorry, that was a bit deep,” Eddie  quickly chimed in, heading into the kitchen with you before helping with putting stuff away, “we all tend to have regrets though so-”

 

“Do you?” you smirked at him before leaning into the fridge to find space.

 

“...Yeah,” you looked up to find him  star ing at you, a  look of worry in his features , “...I do.”

 

For some reason, you felt like you were both dancing around a very thin line. Like you were avoiding something and desperately trying to communicate it without actually saying anything.  Maybe he was thinking of the same thing, maybe he wasn’t, but  it  just felt like something was not wanting to spill out no matter how much you tried.  You could feel the tingles of hesitation running along your neck and fingers to move, noting how silent he became.

 

Closing the fridge, you cleared your throat before moving over to the counter, “okay...one more and then we can stop,” taking a big swig of your drink, you felt a big knot in your stomach form  as you looked at your screen , “...what’s your favorite kind of kiss?”

 

There was no response.

 

You returned to washing dishes instead of waiting, choosing to fight away the butterflies now threatening to vomit from your mouth.  If you didn’t turn your attention to something else, you knew you would let go of all inhibitions and tell him exactly how you liked to be touched  or bolt from the room and lock yourself away for eternity . You were deathly prepared for a good time, felt it buzzing in the air and along your skin. Whether he felt that way  w as beyond you, but you were hungry. STARVING for touch.

 

You were hungry for him.

 

You hadn’t realized the water was turned off until a hand gently touched your hip, waves of electricity shooting through your belly at the warm brush.  You almost didn’t want to move, worried you were reading everything wrong. But you had to know. 

 

Looking over to Eddie, you felt your throat nearly dry at the hungry gaze he gave you, “...yes?” you couldn’t drag another word out of yourself as his other hand gently twisted your hips toward him.

 

You were already breathless, his gaze on your  fruit-stained lips as he pulled you closer. You could feel the warmth of his body through your sweater, hard chest against you as he took you in.  You were flush against him, hips swaying back and forth as you waited with baited breath. You were still dancing, a hairs breadth away from whatever was waiting to happen.  So you  waited. Waited for what he wanted. Waited for an answer. Waited for the grip of his hands to disappear. Waited for him to pull back. Waited...for anything. 

 

You breathed.

 

He moved in,  “...I like the sweet kind,”  and he kissed you.

 

Almost like a ghosts breath against your mouth, unsure and yet still wanting. It took you a moment to re gister that he’d gone for it, kissing him just as lightly as you weren’t sure whether he wanted to go farther. Then he pressed harder, not bruising, but firmly enough to assure you he wanted more. So you kissed back.

 

He licked at your lips, pressing against your tongue the moment you allowed him access. He kept going back, kissing and pulling back, kissing and pulling back, still slow but still hungry  but still hesitant . You could feel the heat building in your stomach.  His kisses were every bit of arousing as his hands were on your body.  You let out a lusty sigh and he broke.

 

You felt him push you against the counter, his hands pulling your face in for deeper kisses, leaning into you as he bit into your lip. His breathing grew heavy,  his lips  refusing to pull back as he placed  kiss  upon kiss upon kiss on you as though prepared to suck the life out of you. You loved it.  His desperate need to keep his mouth on you, no matter how much you both needed air. The way his lips, plush and warm, sucked yours away when he just wanted a bit e . The way he locked you against the counter with his hips, thumbs running along your jaw to touch as much skin as possible. He was hungry.

 

Hungry for you.

 

“Eddie,” you moaned and his kisses became bruising, his hands lifting you up onto the counter as he drowned you in his lust.  You gasped for air in the split second that he wasn’t on you, pulling his face in as you didn’t want to stop. He held your legs around him, your body growing hot to his hunger as he began to grind into you. His hands found the inside of your sweater, sending tingles to your groin at the feel of his calloused palms  rubbing into your hips . You were panting now, almost snug against him as he  lifted -

 

“Ahh fuck!” you flinched as he pulled away completely, hand against his temple as he squinted.

 

“Are you okay?” you tried to get your breathing under control as you  hopped from the counter to get to him, he pulled away once more, “Eddie what’s w-”

 

“I’m f...I...I gotta go,” he rushed for the exit, gripping tightly against his scalp as he snatched up his shoes.

 

“Seriously what’s going on,  let me help...I can -”

 

“ _**NO** _ !” you halted in your tracks at the inhumanly guttural roar  that escaped him , an all too familiar rush of fear taking hold of you, “I-I-I’m sorry...I...sorry.”

 

You  watched the door click shut as he left, your body frozen stiff as you tried to process what happened. You felt tears well up in your eyes before they spilled unceremoniously down your cheeks. You weren’t necessarily hurt so much as you were frustrated. You couldn’t do anything besides sit there out of your own imaginary fears instead of pushing to help the one person your cared about. You should’ve helped him before, should’ve helped him the moment you saw his strain, should’ve done something...but you didn’t.

 

_ That’s not what happened, it’s not your fault.  _

 

You grumbled out an angry huff before heading to turn everything off, no longer in the mood for pleasure. You just wanted sleep.

 

With a rinse of your face, you tossed yourself into bed and took a glimpse of your phone. Unsure of what you were looking for, you shoved it under the pillow. You’d deal with whatever was going on later. Turning into your blankets, you snuggled deep underneath, curling your legs into you as you fought away the cold.

 

But your thoughts were far too preoccupied with the street corner.

 

Pushing yourself up and out of bed, you moved out to the living room, searching for where you’d set your shoes. Your mind was filled to the brim of thoughts you wanted resolved and you needed them sorted now.  There was just far too many things going sideways.

 

“Where are they?” you grumbled, when your hand landed on the giant black blob of a plush you brought home, it’s little white eyes staring at you, “...”

 

Taking it up from the couch, you hauled it into your room under the covers. Snuggling against it’s soft plush body, you burrowed your face into it. Taking a deep breath, you finally felt your mind begin to calm.

 

Sleep was all you needed.

 

\----

 

Sitting at your desk with your cup of tea, you typed away at your keyboard. It was quiet save the hum of others around the office. You were busy finishing up on  the latest reports needing to be filed away. It felt like a long morning to you, having to force yourself from bed to even drag yourself to work. You hadn’t eaten, hadn’t even showered, just snailed your way to work to get things over with.

 

You were exhausted.

 

“We’re heading out for lunch,” you looked to your coworker who lightly brushed your shoulder, her  brows furrowed into a worry, “did you want to come with us?”

 

You forced a smile, “no that’s alright, I’ve gotta get this thing done and then I can head home, go have a good time for me,” you waved her off as she rushed to get to her group, your hands returning to the keyboard a second later.

 

You were alone in the office then, nothing but the sound of air conditioning and clicking keys to fill the void.

 

You sighed, looking to your phone that sat in your bag beneath the table, “...”

 

It’d been three days since you’d spoken to Eddie. Three days since you’d texted to let him know he could talk to you if needed. Three days since you’d slept well.

 

Three days since your head was swarmed with the thought that you were being completely ghosted.

 

Even though you knew Eddie wouldn’t do something like that  at least for good reason , you couldn’t help feeling that way. Not a single peep or pop-in from him that you couldn’t help wondering if you’d done something wrong. You’d gone to the cafe  every  single day you had off, hoping to chance a glance of him there or anywhere nearby. There was no trace. He completely vanished and you were left with the affects of that to do what you would with them.

 

_ I just want to sleep.  _

 

Afternoon rolled by as slowly as it took snow to melt, your back aching and head heavy as you finally finished your work to go home.

 

The trip  back  was silent, your legs dragging you along as you made a pit stop by the local gas station to get a protein box  to eat along the way. You wanted to do nothing but lie in bed and sleep away the headache starting to form at your brow.

 

Grumbling as you kicked your door open, you trudged to your room as you stripped away clothing, leaving articles on the trail left behind. Your bag was thrown haphazardly on the couch as you  made your way up into your room. You paused at the leather jacket and button up resting on the edge of the bed, your stomach churning even more than it already was. 

 

Eddie still hadn’t come by to pick up his clothes,  their presence looming over you every time you woke. 

 

Sighing, you held the jacket to your chest, the scent of his body still lingering as strong as the night of the carnival, “where are you?” you mumbled before setting it aside and crawling back into bed, snuggling up against your big black cat plushy, “...please be okay,” staring at the little white eyes of the animal, you felt your heart sink even more, “...both of you.”

 

Your sleep was light, never fully under, but never fully awake. Time past without your knowledge which was satisfactory enough, your mind gaining some semblance of peace in your fugue state. The hours were filled with broken visions of a big dark beast, teeth as long as your fingers sinking into your thighs. Claws as sharp as knives, cutting into your back and a tongue so large, you couldn’t breathe as it lapped at your flesh. Your skin grew tingly, grew hot, grew sweaty as you fidgeted against your bed.

 

“...Shiiiit,” you sighed miserably as you pushed yourself up from your blankets, staring into your pillows as you tried to get a hold of yourself, “...” looking over to the giant plush, you couldn’t help but feel fire pour into your belly.

 

Settling yourself over the plush, you took a second to process what you were doing and why, “...E ddie ,” you pressed your groin into the  plush, the feel of pressure sending an electric shock through you, “...Eddie,” grinding into the plush, you couldn’t help a desperate moan as your skin flared with goosebumps, “f-f-ffffuck,” gripping onto the headboard, you groaned as you tried to keep a steady pace while visions  of  hot sweaty arms pulled at you, “ple---se,” you could feel your orgasm building, your heart pounding and skin burning as you held onto that dirty desire, “...oh fuck Veno-”

 

You froze to a halt, pulling back as you tried to stop the overwhelming heat that pooled into you at the name, “...no,” climbing off of the plush, you stared at it for far longer than was necessary, feeling absolutely  angry with yourself, “what the hell is wrong with me?”

 

Slipping from the bed, you ripped your top off to cool  down . A glass of water was in order as you maneuvered the dark room. You’d rested long enough for it to  turn night , as pitch black as the pupils of your eyes. 

 

Heading down the steps, you stopped at the sound of a thump in your living room, “...the hell was that?” flipping on the light to the room, you looked around to find nothing out of place, “hmm I’m going crazy,” shuffling into the kitchen, you poured yourself the largest cup you could of water before knocking it back.

 

“ **Hello ____-”**

 

The glass immediately slipped from your hand, your body locking up at the sudden boom of a voice, “what the fuck!?” turning, you blanched at the sight of your big bad monster friend hovering over you with that  all too familiar wide grin,  your glass in hand , “V-Venom, what are you doing here?” you backed up into your counter as he moved close, your skin going c ol d as all of the fear you’d begun to forget came crashing down on you.

 

“ **We need to talk** .”

 


End file.
